Best of the Web

Q&A About the Heathrow Third Runway. The Wales Air Forum has a good Q&A about the proposed third runway at Heathrow courtesy of the Daily Telegraph Transport Editor along with the following graphic to provide an illustration of where the planned runway would be built:

Lego Replica of a Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 Engine. The world’s first jet engine made entirely out of Lego bricks is making an exclusive appearance in Derbyshire (at the Westfield Derby, Level 2 near Eat Central) for two weeks starting from August 20th. The Rolls-Royce jet engine is made from 152,455 pieces of Legos and had been on display at the Farnborough air show.

The Japanese Buy Into a UK Aviation Firm. In other British aviation news, the Development Bank of Japan and trading house Mitsubishi Corp. have acquired a combined stake of 60 percent in TES Holdings Ltd., a Bridgend, Wales based commercial aircraft engine company that has franchise operations in the USA and Singapore. The shares were bought from DVB Bank SE of Germany who may have sold their interest due in part to the worsening European debt crisis.

Stunning Aerial Photos From South Wales “Helicops”. And speaking of Whales, the Wales Air Forum has posted a few stunning pictures from the Air Support Unit of the South Wales Police, otherwise known as the Helicops of the South Wales Police. They along with other British police or aerial units have even gone so far as to put up Twitter accounts.

Hot August Nights. Meanwhile and in the states, student pilot Blaine Transue has written a trip report for the Let’s Go Flying blog about flying from the Bay Area of California to Reno (Nevada) for the annual Hot August Nights event when some 10,000 beautifully restored hot rods and show cars cruise around town.

Flying Over the Alien Landscape of Southeastern Oregon. In addition, Arty Trost has also written another great trip report for the Let’s Go Flying blog about flying to a fly-in at a friend’s remote high-desert ranch.

Film Your Flight Hands Free. If you are looking for a hands free way to capture your flights on film, General Aviation News has mentioned the Fat Gecko Co-Pilot which will allow you to mount any camera inside your aircraft for an unobstructed view of the cockpit along with the airspace ahead. The Fat Gecko Co-Pilot sells for $99.99 and is available through Sporty’s Pilot Shop, Aircraft Spruce and PilotMall.

Moving a C-130 to a New Home. Finally, hat tip to David Cenciotti of The Aviationist for posting an unusual picture from the Little Rock Air Force Base Facebook account of a disassembled C-130 being moved in order to become a static display in front of the base education center. Now that’s not something you don’t want to get stuck behind on a two lane country road!